Many fans still don’t understand…why Tony Stark had to die in the MCU. The Avengers: Endgame movie broke the hearts of Marvel fans, but it was also one of their biggest movies. This movie brought many fans out of the theaters in tears…the title definitely didn’t like it. The day this movie aired, it ended with one of, if not the best, groups of superheroes ever. Now, we aren’t sure Marvel will be able to top that going into the next phases. However, it has been revealed now why we all had to have our hearts broken by Tony Stark’s death.
Why Did Tony Stark Have To Die in the MCU?
[Updated on September 2, 2024 – Updated links and clarified information]
It was known that Robert Downey Jr would end his Marvel contract with the MCU Endgame movie, but how his story would end was something fans didn’t know…or if he’d even get much of an ending. However, a lot of fans and the writers of Endgame would agree that Iron Man’s legacy ended in the best way it could have. He died by sacrificing himself for the good of those he loved. He knew he wouldn’t survive, but he did it anyway…the act of a true hero.
While playing this role, this scene allowed Robert Downey Jr to give us some of his strongest acting in the MCU, even earning the words of Joe Russo, saying he deserved an Oscar. But this wasn’t the only reason Tony Stark had to die. The Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely recently revealed to Vanity Fair that it was in their plans to give Tony Stark an ending, a death, that would be meaningful and highlight his whole life and evolution as a character.
“To have the opportunity to very deliberately tie all those threads together and have it add up to something and have it end, that’s what stories are about,” Christopher Markus explained. Then Stephen McFeely added, “we realized at one point, late in 2015, that […] for Tony to be his best self, he might have to lose his [life].”
This knowledge still doesn’t make it any easier to watch the world of MCU without Iron Man, but the writers did do the character justice. All Tony Stark ever wanted was to protect those he loved, even basically saying he didn’t deserve to live if it wasn’t for the good of others. This is the legacy of Tony Stark and Iron Man.
